Pentagon eyes 'human like' handyman robots: But why?

A US military agency is to announce Grand Challenge for a new generation of humanoid robots to add it to the country’s military arsenal.

­Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is
turning its attention to legged humanoid robots. According to
robotic news portal Hizook, the agency will soon officially
announce its new Grand Challenge for a robot able to “operate
in an environment built for people and interact with
made-for-human tools.”

DARPA wants the androids to be able to drive an open-frame
utility vehicle such as a tractor. The task is to get into the
driver's seat and drive it to a specified location. Then to get
out of the vehicle, maneuver to a locked door, unlock it with a
key, open the door, and go inside.

The new androids should be able to climb a ladder, identify a
valve and fix it with a valve and perform other handyman repairs,
such as locating a broken pipe and replacing it.

The requirements suggest the androids could perform well in
future industrial disasters – instead of humans in dangerous
environments. That could turn out useful for disasters like
meltdown aftermath of Japan's Fukushima nuclear facility.

But some experts already draw parallels with the humanoid SAFFIR
(The Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot) robot, which will
soon be handling dangerous fire fighting duties on US Navy ships.
According to the Naval Research Laboratory, the US military also
has set its sights on "other potential warfare
applications" in choosing to create a humanoid robot.

DARPA plans to issue contracts for six hardware teams and 12
software teams. It will also permit unpaid teams to enter the
contest. If some of the unpaid teams perform better than the paid
teams, they will replace the paid contender and begin receiving
funding.

DARPA previously held several Grand Challenge events. The first
three focused on self-driving cars. In 2004, no winner was
declared, and the cash prize was not given as none of the robot
vehicles finished the route. A year later five different cars
completed the distance.

The third competition took place in 2007. The course involved a
96 km urban area to be completed in less than six hours. Rules
included obeying all traffic regulations while negotiating with
other traffic and obstacles and merging into traffic. Six teams
successfully finished the entire course.

The military agency has also shown a strong interest in legged
robots by funding projects such as Boston Dynamics’ four-legged
robotic headless mule designed to carry battle gear for US
marines. In its first outdoor test, the robot showed how it could
follow a person and navigate around trees and rocks while
climbing a hill.

One of its other projects is Robot Cheetah, which set a speed
record running faster than an average human jogger. That could be
of great advantage over the existing battlefield robots on wheels
or tank-like treads.